Chasing Pavements
by AllISeeAreStars
Summary: Her flirtations were a distraction. That was all. Then he began looking forward to it, reciprocating even. That's when it got complicated.
1. Blame it on the Rain

Chapter one: Blame it on the Rain

He met her on a Tuesday. Gideon introduced her just after Boston on a chilly day, six months after he came home and Haley wasn't there. She wore a bright red pea coat and black tights under a dress, though he was hard pressed to remember the color of it. His eyes were only drawn to the red. She came into the room with the round table with a smile and joke that only Gideon and Spencer understood and he was intrigued.

"Hermione, I'd like you to meet Derek Morgan, Elle Greenway, Jennifer Jareau, Dr. Spencer Reid, and of course, Aaron Hotchner."

"Oh, everyone knows Aaron Hotchner," she said with a teasing smirk as she shook his hand.

"Do they?" He asked.

Her smirk turned into a genuine smile. "Well, _I_ do thanks to Gideon here."

He realized he was still holding her hand and let go hastily. "Well, welcome to the BAU, I suppose."

She nodded. "Yes, well, it's certainly a better prospect than any others I had." Gideon elbowed her and she forced a smile. "I'm happy to be here."

Hotch frowned. "I'm sure."

Her smile became more genuine and she chuckled. "Really. I'm happy to be here. I mean, _you're_ here aren't you?"

Hotch pulled his brows together at her flirting attempts. "Right," then to Gideon, "JJ has us ready to be prepped."

Gideon lead Hermione to the table with a hand on her back where she took great pleasure in stealing the seat next to Hotch.

"This is from the Phoenix office, Bradshaw College in Tempe, 6 fires in 7 months."

* * *

"Oh, come on, Dr. Reid," she teased, sitting back in her chair. "I even left you an opening."

Hotch watched Reid from behind his file as he scanned the chess pieces to find just what Hermione considered an opening. And frown. Hotch had watched Hermione interact with the team.

She passed jokes and facts back and forth with Reid. She exchanged quotes and profiling with Gideon. She laughed with Morgan and the others, teasing each other at every opportunity. But with him, she flirted. It didn't necessarily make him uncomfortable, more like he felt he should be uncomfortable. Instead they went back and forth with ease, often he didn't realize what they were doing until after.

"I literally see no way you left me anything, but lack of dignity and pride."

Hermione chuckled. "That's because you aren't looking at it right."

Gideon sighed from his book without looking. "Hermione, what have I told you about playing with your food before you eat it?"

"Oh, come on, Gideon. Just this once."

"Queen to E7, Reid." Spencer's face lit up in realization.

Hermione pouted. "Now that's just cheating."

"And she'll just take my queen."

"She's had you beat for the last half dozen moves."

Reid slouched and concentrated on the board as though it had offended him greatly. No one knew much about Hermione. Though, he supposed, no one knew all that much about each other at all. Hermione and Gideon had known each other for years, but no one knew how. Just that they met when she was eight. She apparently went to some boarding school, all in Britain, but she never mentioned why she had come here. And Gideon was very careful not to mention it.

"I'll play you," he found himself saying. Everyone looked over at him. He doesn't play. He just doesn't.

She smiled at him and reset the board. "Okay."

He moved to sit across from her, glancing out a window to the clouds and back at her. She was still smiling as she moved a pawn. "How do you know Gideon?"

He moved a knight, she moved a bishop. "I was on a vacation," she told him quietly. "In New York. I accidentally came across a body when I was separated from my parents. Gideon was the agent I talked to. I called him when I moved to the States after I finished school."

She glanced up at him. "When did your wife leave you?"

His hand knocked over the piece he was moving and he picked it back up, placing it on the new spot. "Two years ago."

"Your left hand still shows the indention from the ring."

"My job was too much."

Hermione locked eyes with him. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like. People not liking who you are."

Hotch frowned. "I said that. She told me it isn't who I am; it's what I do."

"Is there really a difference?"

He didn't have an answer for her. It was something he had thought to himself.

* * *

Hermione was arguing with Gideon. Something no one had seen in the year she had been with them. She and Gideon were scary close. She had a desk in his office. She down the road with him. She was the only one who knew half as much about him as she did. All anyone else could do was speculate. And now they were arguing.

It was obvious what kind of argument they were having. He said something to her, knowing him something probably true and upsetting, and she lashed out. Probably irrationally. That was just how it went. The blinds were open, as they usually were, and she was pacing around aggressively with her hands thrown in the air and her voice raised. They could hear her.

"You've no right!"

"You cannot reach for something if you're running away from something else. I've always told you this. I told you that when you came here. And I'm telling you that now. What are you so afraid of?"

It was the closest thing they had ever heard to him yelling. "I'm not scared of anything! I can walk through a door of fire. I can save an innocent convict from prison. I can follow a friend into a trap and stand my ground. I can ride a stolen dragon from a bank. I can do anything!"

This time Gideon was softer. "But you can't go save your parents?"

"I already did."

None of them could hear anything after that, but they watched Hermione fall into Gideon's hug and sob. Hotch wondered if it was some sort of anniversary. He also was envious of her imagination. Reid began going through the file cabinets of his mind to see if she was referencing anything, but came up blank and shook his head to the others as Gideon and Hermione came out of his office, both looking like nothing had happened.

 **A/N: Sigh... Another one. I know. I feel your pain, but I am trying to keep up with all of them. Tell me what you think. BTW this was sort of based on a dream I had. It was freaky. Love always, Skye.**


	2. You With the Sad Eyes

Chapter two: You with the sad eyes...

"Is that all you know how to do?" He snapped at her one day on the jet. Everyone stopped and looked at them. Hermione had only gave a smile. "Bat your eyes and exchange witty banter?"

"Is the only thing you know how to do is brood? Or sulk into yourself about how unfair the world has been to you? Get it through that bloody thick skull of yours, life sucks. Just because you have no joy, doesn't mean you can go around and prevent anyone else from having any as well. Why can't you just let yourself enjoy life? I've seen you start, and then your brain registers what it's doing and you stop yourself. I'm sorry that I offended you."

They all, Hotch included feeling like a dick, stared open-mouthed at her. She had tears in her eyes and Hotch would swear her hair was sparking, but she turned away from all of them, only facing Reid, and didn't speak for the rest of the trip. Reid would catch the eyes of a few of the team members and try to describe in an expression what he was seeing from her that they couldn't from where they sat.

When they landed, Hermione rode with Gideon as opposed to usually insisting on going with Hotch. She and Hotch made a startlingly impressive dynamic and the sexual tension between them at times could be cut with a dull ax. And now it had been and she turned cold toward him. Hotch wasn't sure how to apologize, but he knew he should. He shouldn't have said it. He didn't even mean it. Gideon was giving him that look that told him he fucked up royally. So was everyone else. He would swear that Reid actually glared at him.

They all introduced themselves to the Chief, Chris Kellar. Hermione smiled, but was almost short with him when asking about going to see the abduction site. She went with Morgan and refused to meet Hotch's eyes as she left. Spencer and Hotch looked at victimology. This wasn't something _he_ usually did. He was usually out there with families, looking at where the body was found.

"You messed up," Reid told him, looking through the information on the first victim's family. A little girl who liked ballet. Not found yet. None of the girls were found.

Hotch looked over at the younger man, startled but determined not to show it. "Excuse me?"

"On the plane," he explained unnecessarily. "What you said was out of line and you know it, but your pride won't let you apologize like you want to."

Hotch resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably as he ignored the comment that hit too close to the truth.

* * *

"You figured out how you're going to apologize yet?" Hotch glared at Morgan.

It had been a week and they had found the girls, caught the unsub, and were spending another night in the hotel before leaving first thing the next morning. Morgan accosted Hotch outside of his room.

"What are you talking about?" Hotch asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. I know Reid talked to you about it. I know JJ is too nice to and Elle doesn't trust herself to. Seriously, do something."

Hotch opened his door and went in, Morgan coming in after him. "Oh? And what do you suggest I do?" He asked, faking sarcasm. He had tried to think of a way to sufficiently apologize for being an ass, but hadn't been able to come up with anything. He had sent Garcia flowers on Gideon's behalf to show appreciation, but could he do the same thing with Hermione and being stupid?

Morgan seemed to understand and read between the lines, smirking ever so slightly. "Flowers. Her favorites are daisies. She doodles them on the corners of her papers. And don't just give them to her and let her guess what they mean. Actually _say_ the words."

Then he tapped his arm in good luck and left, leaving Hotch to feel like he had been set up. Nonetheless, he sighed to himself, slipped his jacket back on and left the room again. A moment later his phone chimed with a message from Garcia with directions to a good florist. Yeah, definitely set up.

* * *

She slammed the door in his face.

He had gone to the florist, named with some sort of floral pun he didn't get, and spent over fifty dollars on a bouquet of daisies, cream roses, baby's breath and blue hydrangeas in a nice glass vase. Though, he was only going by what the girl had said. He recognized the roses and vaguely the daisies. He had only gotten Haley flowers a few times, only once at an actual florist. He took a few deep breaths at the door of her room and knocked. She had opened the door, saw him standing there, and slammed the door again.

He almost lost his temper. He felt it building.

But instead, he took two more deep breaths, and knocked again. She opened it more hesitantly this time. This could work.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly.

Then again, maybe not.

Hotch cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

Her face softened and her stance became less defensive. She glanced down at the flowers for the first time and stepped aside. "Would you like to come in?"

Instead of answering, he just followed her, shutting the door behind him. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said it."

"No," she said. "You shouldn't have."

She had made no move to take the flowers or uncross her arms. He swallowed. "You were right, what you said."

"I know." Then, "But I probably shouldn't have said it either."

Hotch held the flowers out for her to take and she smiled at them. "Daisies are my favorite."

"Yeah, you draw them on your papers."

Hermione set them down on the counter, smelling them lightly and looking back at him. She sighed. "I don't flirt with Morgan," she told him. "Nor do I flirt with Spencer. Flirting with Jason would be like flirting with my dad. I flirt with you. Only you. I'm sorry. I know it's very unprofessional. I honestly didn't think it bothered you until last week."

"It doesn't." She gave him a look that very clearly said she didn't believe him and he held his hand up to explain. "It really doesn't bother me. I like the witty, flirtatious banter. That's what bothers me."

She nodded. "I understand that, but I don't understand what you want me to do."

Neither did he.

"I want to be close. I want to be friends the way you and Reid are. I want to be close like you and Gideon or Garcia and Morgan. Maybe one day more, but I'm not ready for that right now."

She smiled. "I know."

Hotch nodded, wondering if she felt that something very important had changed between them. "You should get some sleep. Early day tomorrow."

"Right."

He walked towards the door and stopped with his hand on the doorknob when she called his name.

"Aaron."

This was what had stopped him. He had only ever heard her say his first name once before at their first meeting and that was different. So few people these days used his first name. So he looked back.

"Thank you."

He nodded in acknowledgment. "Good night, Hermione."

 **A/N: Okay. Daisies actually ARE my favorite flowers. I feel like they could brighten anything up. This was inspired by my thinking that while Hotch might like the flirting back and forth, it would make him uncomfortable. Uncomfortable where he tried to push her away. Then the rest of the team would kind of get upset because he was just mean. Hermione's been through too much to just ignore it when she feels a connection with someone, been through too much to be bitter about life. Also, flowers can be hella expensive. I mean, dude. Siriusly. Let me know what you thought. Hope you liked it. Any ideas for future scenes? Love always, Skye.**


	3. I Can Make You Smile

Chapter three: I can make you smile

 _"_ _I want to be close. I want to be friends the way you and Reid are. I want to be close like you and Gideon or Garcia and Morgan."_

That's what happened. Hotch and Hermione went back to being Hotch and Hermione, flirty banter and all- much to the contentment of the rest of the team. The next day on the jet, Hermione sat across from him with her book, Time Enough For Love, her feet propped up in the seat beside him. Hotch sat there happily, listening when she found something funny, and writing his report. Not surprisingly, she had finished hers the night before. Neither of them noticed the looks the others exchanged in relief that things were as they should be again.

The team were taking a few days of vacation after this case, and while he was glad for the breather, he still wanted to see her. But he would never say that. He wouldn't even admit it to himself. He went his own way, going to go see Jack for the weekend and happy for it. His son ran to him with a wild light in his eye and a maniacal laugh exclusive to children.

"Hey, buddy," he said, picking his son up and hugging him.

Haley came to them, handing him a bag that had Jack's things in it. Hotch took it, still feeling that sick feeling at the sight of her. He wasn't sure whether it was because he was still in love with her or because he still felt the betrayal and sting he felt when she left him. He accepted that it was most likely the latter. He thanked her and set up a time, his hackles rising at her quip that he had better be on time bringing him home. He had been late twice. Once because of traffic and the other because they had slept in. Now she always made a point of being snotty about it. He wondered if she even realized that Jack was his son too.

"I'm introducing him to Ryan next week."

Hotch frowned. "Who's Ryan?"

Her face twisted almost sour and she wasn't as pretty. "He's the man I've been seeing for a few months."

Right. Ryan. He had known she was going on dates again, but it still hadn't registered. He felt the sudden urge to destroy something. He wanted to ruin something beautiful. He swallowed his anger/hurt/pain and nodded, looking down at his son. Their son. The only reason he doesn't regret it all. He suddenly thought of Hermione and didn't feel so bitter. He wasn't ready for a relationship with her yet, but now they both knew they wanted one. He smiled a bit.

"Okay. I hope it goes well." And he did.

Haley's feathery eyebrows knitted together and she frowned at him. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

"Jack, I can't grab the cookies if you don't let go of my shirt."

He gently unfurled the four year old's hands from his sweater and backed from the cart to the shelf, easily grabbing the prize on the top shelf and turning back to Jack hiding another pack of cookies he'd reached behind his back.

"You know, you're not being sneaky. Pick one."

Jack picked the ones he had reached himself, despite Hotch trying to explain to him that he knew for a fact Jack didn't like that kind. Four years old and he knew everything himself. Hotch sighed and put both packs in the cart. At least he knew Reid liked that kind for when Jack took a bite of one and wanted to toss them out.

They moved on to something for dinner.

"What do you want for dinner?" Jack shrugged and looked around from his seat in the cart, being big enough to upgrade to the bigger part.

"How about hot dogs?"

Jack looked at him with offense. "We can't eat hot dogs!"

Hotch frowned. Jack loved hot dogs? "Why not?"

His son huffed at him impatiently. "They're made by killing animals."

Hotch sighed. His son, the vegetarian. Wasn't he a little young for that phase? He wondered if it was Haley's doing. She still did that off and on, decided she was a vegetarian until there was chicken casserole to be eaten. He hoped this wasn't a permanent thing.

"How about soup and grilled cheese?"

Jack shook his head with a look of disgust. "I don't like soup."

Since when didn't he like soup? Hotch wasn't much of a cook. He tried to think of something without meat. Without meat, could it even be called a meal? More like a snack...

"Pizza?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I just don't want pizza."

He found himself in a fierce staring match with the boy. He was about to admit defeat and suggest brownie sundaes for supper, balanced meal be damned, when his eye stopped on a shopper at the end of the aisle- basket on her arm and her red pea coat on. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Aaron?"

Another thing, she had just stopped calling him Hotch. He said nothing against it, not thinking it had ever sounded so appealing than when she said it. He had never before liked his name.

"Hermione."

She looked over at Jack and her eyes softened. Everyone knew he had a son, but Hermione had never met him. She hesitated in coming over, that much being obvious, but he met her halfway.

"Fancy seeing you here," she said.

"I don't usually stop on this side of town, though I might more often."

Hotch said the second half nervously, actively flirting on purpose. She blushed. "I see you have your son with you."

He hadn't dated since Haley left. In fact, he had never really dated anyone other than Haley. They had met in high school, married in college, therefore he had never really had to introduce a woman he was romantically interested in to his son.

"This is Jack. Jack, this is my friend Hermione."

"Hello, Jack," she said.

Jack grinned at her. "My-knee."

Hotch chuckled. "Sorry. Four year olds are exactly known for the best pronunciation."

"Trust me, it's better than some others. I have a friend who says 'Herm-own-ninny.'"

"Yikes. I suppose I'm lucky mine is so easy."

She tilted her head. "Which one? Hotch or Aaron?"

"Both are fairly easy."

"Which do you prefer?"

He paused. "Depends on who is addressing me."

Jack butted in. "I just like Jack."

She smiled at him. "I like Jack too. You're lucky you aren't stuck with something like Draco."

"Draco?" Hotch asked.

"Someone in my year when I was in school. You wouldn't believe some of the names."

"Worse than Hermione?" He teased, almost looking around and wondering what the hell happened to Aaron Hotchner.

She rolled her eyes. "I was lucky it was _only_ Hermione. There was a girl in my dorm named Lavender. I have a friend named Remus. Jack, Aaron, and Hermione are fairly decent in comparison."

Jack was staring at Hermione in awe and Hotch raised a brow, wondering if he would have to fight his own son over her.

"Well, I should probably get going," Hotch said at last, noticing that even though Jack seemed to like Hermione, he was getting antsy. "Have to find something Jack here will eat. Apparently he has decided to ban any meats."

She chuckled. "Aah, that phase."

"I never went through it," Hotch admitted.

"I never grew out of it," Hermione blushed. Then, "In fact, if you would like, how aout you guys come over for dinner? I'm making meatless lasagna and salad."

Hotch looked down at Jack, who had a big grin. "I don't know.."

He was once again interrupted by his very opinionated son. "Please? I want to go eat with My-knee."

Hermione smiled at Jack and back to Hotch. "Looks like you've been outvoted."

Hotch surrendered. "Okay."

"Great!" She said. "Well, I still have to go get a few things. Do you want to come over sometime around seven?"

It sounded like a date. "Sounds good," he said.

* * *

He felt stupid. He felt like he should do something, bring something. Flowers, dessert, something? Should he change? He felt rude to just show up. Jack watched his father pace, getting more and more frustrated with himself. He glanced at his phone a few times. Then swallowed his pride and picked it up.

He couldn't call Gideon. He just couldn't. Next best person to call for Hermione counsel, he was loathe to call it advice, was Reid.

"Reid."

"I have a question."

"Hotch?"

He glared at nothing at this question. "Yes. I have a question."

"I might have an answer."

Damn kid thought it was funny.

"What's Hermione's favorite dessert?"

There was a pause.

"Reid?"

"Yeah, I'm here. This just progressed faster than we thought it would."

Hotch's face reddened. "Nothing's progressed. We're just having dinner. As friends."

"Right. That's why you're pacing and asking her favorite dessert."

Hotch stopped mid-step in his pacing and glared again. "Do you have an answer or not?"

"Chocolate. She loves anything chocolate. I remember because Morgan made a comment-"

Hotch hung up the phone, not wanting to know what the comment was, and sighed a breath of relief. He didn't change from his navy blue sweater and jeans, but he did bathe Jack and change him into something better. They left early with enough time to stop and buy a chocolate pie.

* * *

She wore black jeans and a cream colored peasant blouse. No shoes. Perfect, because Jack had decided to throw his out of the window driving down the highway. She beamed at them and ushered them in. The house was cozy, and with a delicious smell permeating the air.

"Chocolate pie?" He said, offering it to her.

Hermione took it with a smile. "It's wonderful. You didn't have to."

"Nonsense. You invited us over for dinner, it's the least I could do."

She took it to the kitchen and he followed her and she set it in the fridge for later. "It should be done in about ten minutes," she told him. "I was just about to set the table."

"I'll help." He offered, keeping an eye on Jack. Who was pulling out a box of toys in the corner. "Jack!"

"Oh, it's okay," she whispered. "I left them out for him. They're for my godson when he comes over."

"You have a godson?"

"Two, actually. James and Teddy, though Teddy is almost nine now. James just turned five. His father, Harry, and I have been friends since we were eleven."

Hotch nodded, suddenly frowning slightly and the tall table and chairs set. Hermione noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to bring his booster. He still can't quite reach the table."

She chewed her lip for a moment, looking at it, and went off to the back of the house. She came back with a stack of books and a belt. Hotch watched as she laid the hard cover books, pages to the back of the chair, on it- looping the belt around the stack and tightening it under the chair. She wriggled the stack to be sure it was steady and then looked up at him with a triumphant grin.

"Perfect."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled, moving to pull the lasagna from the oven. "I had a professor in school who was too short for his podium and had to stand on a really tall stack of books to reach it."

"Why didn't he just get a shorter podium?"

Hermione frowned. "You know, I don't know. I suppose partly because it just became part of the school. Like ghost stories and portraits."

She set the lasagna, which looked delicious, and the salad on the table. Hotch called Jack, noting that she placed Jack at the head of the table in the middle of them. A table that seated twelve. He wondered if she often had that many people over for dinner. Did she ever have Spencer over?

"I don't like broccoli," Jack informed Hermione very seriously as Hotch made his plate and broccoli-less salad.

"I didn't use to either," she told him. "Can I tell you a secret?"

His eyes widened and he nodded very earnestly. She looked around, as though to be sure no one was listening, and leaned in. "I never eat spinach."

"You don't have to eat spinach?"

She shook her head. "I ate it when I was a kid because my parents made me, but when you grow up you can skip a few vegetables if you want."

Jack looked like she had just presented him with sacred information. "I can't wait until I never have to eat broccoli."

She smiled at him, meeting Hotch's eyes. His mouth felt dry, but he smiled back.

* * *

"I'm glad you came over," she told him after he said that it was probably time for him to get Jack home.

After dinner and dessert, she pulled Jack into a game called Gobstones- which to Hotch was much like marbles. Jack loved it. Then he played with a group of soldiers. Well, he used them as soldiers. They looked like regular people. One he would even swear looked like Hermione. She had told him wild stories of a group of friends fighting trolls, saving a framed man from persecution, and one of a stolen dragon. He saw the pattern from her argument with Gideon. Now, Jack had fallen asleep laying against Hermione reading a book. Hermione was absentmindedly running a hand through his hair as he snored softly.

"Thank you for having us," he replied, watching her with his son. "I know Jack really enjoyed himself. You're an amazing story teller."

She blushed and looked away. "Yes, well. I love a good story. Heros, princesses, princes in disguise."

Hotch stood from the couch and lifted Jack into his arms, who whined briefly at leaving his 'My-knee', before falling asleep again. Hermione smiled at them both, standing to see them out.

"You two are welcome anytime," she said.

"Thank you. I suppose I'll see you Monday?"

She smiled. "Well I do have a boss to flirt mercilessly with."

Hotch smiled back, kissing her cheek hesitantly and leaving to take Jack home.

* * *

"You're late."

"We're exactly on time," Hotch contradicted gently.

She didn't say anything and took Jack into her arms with a forced smile. "Did you have a good time?"

Jack grinned and went off on the tales of the Golden Trio, their narrow escapes and heroism. "And then My-knee said they jumped _off_ the dragon while it was still flying! Into water! I wish I could jump into water from a dragon."

Hotch internally groaned at the mention of Hermione. Not that he was wanting to hide it, but it could cause problems depending on Haley's mood.

"My-knee?" Haley asked, looking at Hotch with suspicion.

He cleared his throat. "A friend of mine we ran into at the store. Jack couldn't decide what he wanted for dinner and she invited us over. That's all."

"Go put your things away, Jack." Haley sent him into the other room. She crossed her arms at him. "Just a friend?"

"For now," he answered honestly.

She pursed her lips. "What does that mean?"

"It means that for the moment she is just a really good friend because I'm not ready for a relationship at the moment. When I am, that will most likely change."

"I hope she's more patient with your job," Haley said almost bitterly.

Hotch gritted his teeth. "Considering she also works with the BAU, I think should think she would. Not that patient is the word I would use."

"And what word would you use?"

This was going to lead to a fight, and that wasn't what Hotch wanted. "Jack? Come give me a hug before I go."

The boy came running from his room and into Hotch's legs. "Are you going to go see, My-knee?"

Haley scoffed and went off towards the door to hold it open for him. Hotch almost sighed. "Tomorrow I will."

"Ask her what Harry's favorite color was. I want to make a cape that color."

Hotch smiled. "I promise to ask her."

He set Jack down and nodded to Haley before leaving.

 **A/N: Don't know if you guys have noticed the references to songs in this fic. I love Fanfictions inspired by songs and music. This chapter is a lyric from a song called Prove You Wrong by He is We. That band also did the song the first chapter, Blame it on the Rain if named for. Second chapter was a lyric from True Colors, which I don't really like musically. I do love the lyrics and the cover used in Trolls. I urge you all to look the songs up. They're all awesome, even if they don't ALWAYS fit the chapter. This one sort of does. As does the others. Oh well. Also, Chasing Pavement is an amazing song.**

 **Jack and his pickiness was inspired by both, my little brother, and a girl I used to babysit. My brother still doesn't like the idea of eating pork because a friend named his pig on Minecraft after him. I am always wanting to vegetarian and chicken casserole is the only reason I am not. It's my favorite thing other than pizza and grape soda. Which I am out of. Sigh.**

 **I do not like Haley. In case you couldn't tell. I'm kind of writing her and Hotch's relationship on my own parent's when I was a kid. But milder. I love broccoli, but the only way I will eat spinach is fresh in a salad because damn it, I'm an adult. I don't have to eat veggies I don't want to anymore. I hope you all like Hotch and Jack in this. I feel like not a lot of fanfics use much of Jack. It's a shame because I LOVE kids. I want to own a daycare. You'll notice almost all of my fics have children in them.**

 **Let me know what you thought! Love always, Skye.**


	4. It was a big, big world

Chapter four: It was a big, big world...

Hermione was drinking her morning tea when Hotch came in to ask Harry's favorite color after dropping the unwanted cookies off at Reid's desk. Gideon frowned at the question.

"Harry?" Gideon questioned.

Hotch turned to look at him. "Jack and I saw her over the weekend and she told stories to Jack that he just loved. Now he wants to know Harry's favorite color so he can get a cape the same color."

He didn't see Gideon give Hermione a stern look. Hermione blushed. "Red, Harry's favorite color was red."

Hotch nodded. "I will definitely tell him. He talked about you almost nonstop yesterday until I took him home."

"I'm glad he liked them," she said quietly, avoiding anyone's gaze.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked with a frown.

She smiled. "Just a headache. I didn't sleep well."

* * *

"I don't like this."

He frowned and looked over to her. Her elbow was propped up on the open window, open because of the killing damned heat of a summer in Georgia, rubbing a thoughtful finger over her bottom lip. He recognized this expression as her thinking about something hard.

"What do you mean?"

"He's intelligent. So far we've only found what he wanted us to find. This was too easy."

Hotch saw immediately what she meant, but didn't want to think about it. It _had_ been too easy, but they had too many dead bodies not to take every option they could find.

"Everyone slips up some time," he told her, unsure of himself.

She made this strange movement with her mouth and he could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek. The ultimate sign of her thinking hard. There was a gun shot from the inside of the house and he called over the com for all units to move in, but not to go inside. He and Hermione ran to the back towards the bedroom where it sounded like the gunshot came from, guns ready and signaling each other with eyes. She nodded to him and he kicked the door in with a swift movement that he would never admit he hoped impressed her.

Hotch followed her into the room, but saw no one. He stopped short at the recording on the bed, wired to the amplifiers around the room. Hermione moved forward, stopping the recording as it started screaming and looked back at Hotch with confusion. He shrugged and looked around for something, not sure what. Only wires. Wait, not all of those wires were for the recording. He traced them with his eyes to the device on the bed that she was reaching to pick up. The unsub had a history in-

"WAIT!" He launched himself at Hermione and threw them to the ground, rolling them under the bed with her under him as the room exploded.

There was a ringing in his ears and he saw Hermione trying to say something. Trying to shout something. There were more shouts, but the ringing didn't stop and he felt some thing warm dripping down his neck. He reached up in a daze and dabbed his finger at it, his fingers coming back red. He felt the loss of the bed behind him as someone tried to pull him up and someone pulled Hermione away from him. Then he heard himself shouting, reaching for her and trying to throw the arms off that were trying to subdue him. The ringing in his ears subsided enough that he heard Hermione telling him to stop fighting and he recognized the man with her as Gideon. He calmed down marginally until he suddenly slumped and fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, there was no more ringing but rather a faint buzzing. He was aware just barely of a pressure on his hand. He tried to squeeze the warmth back, but found himself unable. Hermione stood at his side, butterfly bandages over a long cut on the corner of her eye and a bruise on her other cheek bone.

"Aaron?" She asked, looking at him with worry. "Don't try to move. I'm going to go get the doctor."

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She kissed his forehead and left in a rush, returning a moment later followed by an older doctor- wrinkles playing tag on his face.

"Agent Hotchner? I'm Dr. Mallory. You sustained a blunt force trauma to your entire back from the bed collapsing on you. You should be able to leave in a few days, but you may experience difficulty walking too much and some ringing in your ears from time to time. How are you feeling?"

Hotch blinked at the ceiling a few times, moistening his lips. "Drugged. What did you give me?"

"That would be..." he glanced down at his clipboard, lifting a few papers to find the answer, "morphine. For the pain."

"Stop it. I don't want it."

Mallory went to object. "Sir, you're both lucky to be alive-"

"I don't care. I can't think on morphine."

"Yes, sir. Your team is in the waiting area. They can come back here in a few minutes. Now your team has contacted your family, they should be-"

As if on cue, there was a blur and suddenly Jack was at his side. Mallory nodded to Hotch and left the room. "Daddy? Are you okay?"

He smiled at his son. "Yeah, buddy, I'm okay."

"Aaron," Haley greeted. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah," he said, sitting up. "Hermione, would you mind taking Jack to the waiting room?"

Jack immediately perked up and looked over at Hermione, who he hadn't realized was there yet. "My-knee?"

She smiled and Hotch noticed Haley's face shrivel in hatred that he had never seen on her before. Jack ran to hug Hermione and she ruffled his hair affectionately, leading him out with a glance back to Hotch with a smile.

"So, you're looking for the younger girls?"

"Excuse me?" He said coldly.

She scoffed. "Oh, come on, Aaron. She's what, ten years younger than you? Fifteen?"

"How is that relevant?"

"It's relevant because you've already said that there's something between you. Jack won't stop talking about her constantly. How irresponsible is it that you let your son around a girl like that?"

"What do you mean a girl like that? Caring, intelligent, fun to be around? I rather thought it was being a good influence." He paused with a slow smile creeping into his features. "You're jealous. That's what this is. I'm not brokenhearted and pliant for you after the divorce. I'm not letting you walk over me anymore and happy?"

He had never been so angry. She just glared and raised her voice to match his. "She's a child and you're being pedophile. I don't want my son around that. Around her."

"Excuse me," a voice said. Haley looked back red-faced to Hermione who stood in the door way. "It's fine if the two of you need to shout at each other, but perhaps you should either wait until you aren't in a hospital or lower your voices. Jack can hear you."

"I don't need you to tell me what to do when it comes to _my_ child," Haley ground out.

Hermione smiled and Hotch almost did too, knowing this was a dangerous smile for her. "And Aaron doesn't need you to tell him what to do when it comes to _his_ feelings for someone else. For your information, I'm an adult. So is he. You have no control over either of our decisions. Especially considering Ryan Finnegan is even younger than I am. Please, think about what you're doing when your son can hear you shouting at each other. Especially when it's partially about him."

Then she left again and Haley stared at the spot she had previously occupied with wide eyes.

* * *

Hours later, after Haley and Jack left, after the team had went home, after the sun had gone down, Hermione sat beside Hotch's bed holding his hand while they talked.

"How did you know he was younger?" He asked.

She smirked. "I know him. His cousin and I went to school together."

"He didn't go to the same school?"

"It was a very exclusive school," she said. "He didn't get his letter. If I remember correctly his parents were bitter and moved here."

"She used to be my best friend," he told her. "She told me that she could handle my job as long as I always came home. I don't know when that stopped being enough."

Hermione rubbed her thumb over his hand. "Do you miss her?"

"I miss who she used to be. I miss my best friend."

"She doesn't seem to like me much."

"Haley thinks she's the only one allowed to move on."

She tilted her head with a strange expression. "And have you? Moved on?"

"Yes."

* * *

Hotch could hear the plans they were going through as he packed his desk in excitement. Haley was letting him keep Jack for the whole of two weeks. He couldn't wait. He and Hermione even had plans to get together and take Jack to the zoo. Their relationship was still in a balance of romantic and not, but they were all but official. He couldn't wait.

"Come on, Hermione. You're hot, you could have fun with us..." Morgan wriggled his eyebrows suggestively and she snorted at him.

"I think not, I have friends from England coming to visit. Plus, I have important plans."

"Hot date?" Elle asked.

She smirked, glancing at Hotch. "Something like that."

"Oh, there he is."

"Pretty Boy."

"Last chance."

Reid looked anxious, grabbing a few things from his desk and rushing out with a "Thanks anyway."

"He look okay to you?"

Elle shrugged. "He looks about the way I would if I was gonna spend 2 weeks with my family."

"Hey, don't knock family."

Hotch was coming don the stairs at this point. "I'm gonna get nothing but for the next 336 hours. Hermione, need a ride?"

"Yes, thank you."

The passed by Gideon on the way out, rushing as though he were late or something. "I'll be lost in a cabin for the next 2 weeks. Do not call me for anything. Have a great time."

"Tell Sarah hello for me," Hermione told him.

"And give the boys my best."

Gideon left in a hurry, choosing to run down the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. Hotch smiled at their exchange. But, boys? Should he worry? If she was in a romantic involvement she'd have told him though, right?

"Boys?" He asked.

"Old friends. Just friends." He relaxed. "Al _though_ , I _did_ have a bit of a crush on Severus when I was in school."

He scowled at her teasing until she squeezed his hand as the elevators dinged open. "Does that mean we need to postpone the zoo?"

"Are you kidding?" She said. "No! I can't wait to see Jack at the zoo."

"He really likes you. I'm surprised Haley is letting him stay the whole two weeks."

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe she has her own plans for two weeks?"

He shrugged, not caring what she did and just being happy about having Jack. "So, tomorrow? Nine? We'll pick you up. Or, would you rather wait?"

"Well, I'd like for you to meet them, but that can wait. Nine sounds perfect."

"Is Harry one of them? Jack would go insane."

Hermione's smile stopped as she buckled her seat belt. "Harry-Harry died. He was seventeen, I was eighteen and so was Ron. Ron and I sort of drifted apart afterwards. I think we were only really friends because of Harry."

"What happened?" Hotch asked quietly.

She chuckled humorlessly. "Voldemort finally got him."

He frowned. Voldemort was the villain in the stories she told Jack. He never really thought about it, but maybe the stories were all true in a sense. He could see a psychopath killing parents, being arrested and coming after the son later. It wasn't unimaginable. There were some stories that he could translate into what really happened. An elite boarding school that let Harry in through his parents being legacies and Hermione being intelligent.

"No, Sirius, Remus, and Severus Snape are coming over."

"Snape is a real person?"

She chuckled. "Yes, and he's a good person. I'd tell you the story, but I don't want to make Jack jealous."

"Sirius was really a mass murderer?"

"No, he was really accused and we proved his innocence."

"You're school was much more exciting than mine."

He wondered how much truth her stories held in their dangers. He pulled up to her house and parked.

"Do you want to come in and meet them real quick?" She asked.

Hotch glanced down at the clock on the dashboard. "For a minute."

"Okay, now, don't listen to Sirius, he's a joker. Remus seems sweet and innocent, but he isn't. He's just as bad. Severus will not shake your hand, but offer anyway. He likes to intimidate. Don't mention Harry or my stories please."

Then she was pulling him by the hand to the door and throwing it open. Did she not lock it? When she walked through the door she paused and then was attacked, stumbling back after being tackled by a small boy.

"Mia!" She reached down and picked the boy up, pretending to groan under his weight.

"Oh! You, my young man, are getting heavy."

Hotch looked at the boy, a young boy probably a year older than Jack with freckles, brown hair, and blue eyes. In the living room, all sitting around a fire place and looking at the door, were a man with shoulder-length black hair, tied back. Hotch wasn't attracted to his own sex, but he could appreciate that this man probably left a string of broken hearts behind him. There was a man with the same length and color hair, greasy, hanging around his face and beaked nose. This had to be Severus Snape, the greasy bat of the dungeon. Then there was who must be Remus with a scarred, friendly face.

"Mia, guess what I did? I won the prank war against Padfoot."

He watched Hermione glance to Hotch and back to the boy in her arms. "You did? That's a miracle. Keep it up, cub. Teddy, this is my friend Aaron."

The bright blue eyes turned to Hotch and held him in place as he felt like he was being weighed and measured and found wanting. "Aaron, this is my godson, Teddy Lupin."

Remus' son then. "Hello, Teddy. How do you do?"

The boy tilted his head to examine him more. "What's your favorite dinosaur?"

Ah! An olive branch hinged on his choice. "Raptors," he answered.

A small smile crept on his face. "I like raptors, but my favorite is the T-Rex."

"That's my son's favorite too. Did you know the largest T-Rex tooth is about this big?" He held his hands about a foot apart. Teddy's face got excited at that and Hotch made a mental note to thank Reid for loading he and Jack with all those facts.

"You have a son?"

"I do. He'll be five in a few months. His name is Jack."

"I turned five in April."

Someone cleared their throat and Hermione looked over. "Right, sorry. Aaron, this is Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Remus Lupin."

She put Teddy down and he ran to his father to ask if he knew that about the dinosaur's tooth. Sirius and Remus had nodded at their names, but Severus glared. Hotch understood the parts of the story where his glare terrified them. Looking at them now, he could tell her she told the stories well.

Hotch shook Sirius and Remus' hands, but was rebuffed by Severus' just as Hermione said he would be. "You're one of Hermione's friends?" Remus asked civilly.

He nodded. "I am. We work together." His eyes glanced to the clock she had on her mantle and grinned. "Sorry, Hermione. I need to go pick Jack up. Nine tomorrow morning?"

"I look forward to it."

"I thought we were going to Horizon Alley tomorrow?"

She looked back to Severus, whose tone had been sharp, and sighed. "Severus, I told you all I had plans tomorrow. We're going to the zoo."

There was a gasp. "THE ZOO?"

Hermione looked to Hotch in silent question. He shrugged with a 'why not' face. She looked to Remus as well, who nodded. She smiled down at her godson. "Teddy, would you like to come to the zoo tomorrow with me, Aaron, and Jack?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Please! I'll be good!"

Hotch smiled and Hermione walked him out. "I hope that's okay? Him coming."

"Jack will love it and I honestly don't mind. Teddy seems sweet."

"Thank you, Aaron." He began to slowly lean down, wanting to kiss her, when there was a clearing of a throat and Severus was at the door with his arms crossed.

"I don't think he likes me much," Hotch whispered.

She smiled and kissed his chin. "He doesn't like anyone, that much in my stories is true."

* * *

"Daddy! Is Mine in the car?" That was Jack's new name for Hermione as opposed to 'My-knee.'

Hotch picked him up in a similar fashion to Hermione and Teddy. "She is not, but she and her godson are coming to the zoo with us tomorrow. You'll like that, won't you?"

His son's face dropped. "Do you think she'll still like me with him there too?"

"I do, and I really think you'll like Teddy. His favorite dinosaur is the T-Rex."

Jack gasped excitedly. "I brought my dinosaur's with me."

"Well, how about you go get your bag while I talk to your mom?"

"Okay."

Haley was at the door in the same position as Severus when Hotch had decided to kiss Hermione. "Aaron," she said coldly in a greeting. He ignored it.

"So, I'll bring him home in two Fridays? Around four?"

She turned her face up. "Two Sundays. Keep him longer."

He frowned. She had never let him keep Jack longer. She often had to cut it short. "Okay."

"Do you know anyone outside of your job?" She asked. "That could watch Jack when you're gone?"

"I could figure something out. Why?"

She shifted on her feet. "Just asking. I, uh, I've been thinking about giving up my rights."

Hotch widened his eyes. "Wh-what?!"

Haley cleared her throat and looked away. "He's _your_ son. Always has been. He's nothing like me and Ryan and I want to start our own life together just the two of us. He's, there's something wrong with him."

"There's nothing wrong with him," Hotch hissed lowly. "You'd give up your son because of some guy you barely know?"

"And you would for some bitch you hardly know."

"I wouldn't give my son up for anything. If she didn't get along or accept him then she wouldn't be anything more than a coworker. That's what a parent does."

"I never signed up for him."

"Ready, Daddy." Jack came out with a stuffed backpack on and an assortment of dinosaur toys in his arms, grinning. Haley pursed her lips and looked away.

Hotch smiled at his son and ruffled his hair. "Go get buckled then, I'll be there in a minute." Then to Haley, "If that's what you want, do it, but think about our son and how it affects him. He loves you."

"I'm not built to be a mother, Aaron. It's not in me. I've tried for four and a half years, but I just don't. I have the paperwork. All I have to do is fill it out. Jack, Jack doesn't like Ryan."

"So you're choosing your boyfriend over your only son."

"HE'S NOT MY SON!"

Hotch clenched his jaw and looked away. "Then, fill it out. Jack doesn't need you."

Jack was quiet on the drive home, making exploding sound effects, and making his dinosaurs eat each other. "Daddy, will Mine be my new mom?"

Hotch almost swerved off the road. "Wh-what?"

"I heard Mommy and Ryan talking. Ryan called me a freak."

"You're not a freak, Jack. Don't listen to either of them. You're staying with me now."

Jack looked out the window.

That night he had just laid Jack down for the night- when the house phone rang. Hotch frowned. No one ever used the house phone. Most people who called were from work or Haley. They called his cell.

"Hello?"

" _Agent Hotchner, don't waste time on the first victims. They were unrepented bad men. She's the important one. Remember, everything stars at the beginning."_

"Who is this?" Hotch asked, a feeling he didn't like going through his body.

" _There won't be much time. The youngest holds the key. You must help him save her."_

The line clicked and Hotch stared at the phone for a few moments after, not sure what to think.

* * *

"Daddy, I want to ring the doorbell."

"Well, you better beat me there." Jack ran to the front door, past the gate, and rang the bell twice before holding it down without letting go.

Hotch joined him on the step as Hermione opened the door laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm right here. You're early."

"I hope that's okay," Hotch said, suddenly nervous that it wasn't.

"It's fine, we were just eating breakfast. Would you guys like some pancakes?"

Jack grinned and nodded in an answer for them both. Pancakes were his favorite.

"Mia, it's burning."

Her brown eyes widened and she groaned. "Oh, bollocks. Come on in, guys."

They followed her into the kitchen where Teddy sat at the breakfast nook. He supposed the others were still asleep or out for the day. Hotch decided he liked her like this, barefoot in the kitchen with her hair in a messy bun, cooking with a bit of a swing because of the radio and singing a song he didn't recognize.

"Jack, this is Teddy. Teddy, this is my son Jack."

The boys smiled at each other as Hermione placed a plate in front of Jack and Hotch, kissing both boys on the head. "I'll be right back, I just have to go change."

Hotch watched her go and turned back to the boys, both of which were lost in conversation that he honestly didn't understand half of. He still watched them interact as if they had known each other for years. It was amazing to watch children become friends in such a short time based on nothing more than a favorite dinosaur. Hermione came back down, hair brushed, dressed in a white sundress and tennis shoes with her hair in a bun of sorts with flyaway wisps framing her face.

"You look pretty, Aunt Mi," Teddy told her with an awed voice.

"You do," Jack agreed.

She smiled and kissed them both again. "Thank you."

Jack looked over at Hotch with a smirk. "Don't you think Mia looks pretty, Daddy?"

That traitor. _Mia_?

"I think Hermione always looks beautiful."

She blushed prettily and stole a bite of his pancakes. He whined in complaint and she just smiled. "Are you all done eating?"

"I am!" The boys both said together. Hotch nodded to her question and stood to help put the dishes in the sink.

"Hey," he whispered when Teddy went to show Jack his room. "I wanted to talk without them."

"What's wrong?"

"Haley is giving up her rights."

Hermione stopped washing the plate and looked over at him. "She what? Why would she do that?"

"She said that she never wanted to be a mother and that she and Ryan wanted to start over. That Ryan and Jack didn't like each other."

"Ryan Finnegan is the most small minded, conceited, maliciously stupid person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting and that's saying something."

"How well do you know him?"

"His cousin is a friend, but I've only met Ryan a few times. He and I don't get along, though, from what I understand he and Haley deserve one another. Sorry."

"No, I agree. Jack said that apparently she and Ryan call him a freak."

Hermione dropped a bowl and splashed water to her upper arms. "Well, then perhaps it is for the best that he stays with you."

Hotch pulled her closer. "Hermione, I need to know, does that change anything? With us?"

" _Is_ there an us?" She asked.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I want there to be, but I need to know. Jack will always come first."

"I wouldn't be want to be with you if he wasn't," she said. "And Teddy is just the same to me. He's here a lot and he will always be."

"So, you and me?"

She smiled. "You and me."

* * *

"Teddy, slow down!"

"But, Mia! They're lions! Like Gryffindor!"

Jack's face lit up at the familiar term and began jumping up and down and pointing. "Daddy! I want to be in Gryffindor too!"

"My dad was in Gryffindor," Teddy tells Jack very seriously. "So was Padfoot, but Uncle Sev was in Slytherin."

"I thought all Slytherins were bad?"

"Some people still think that, but Sev is good."

Hotch and Hermione watched them point to the different lions and talk excitedly to each other.

"So Gryffindors and Slytherins are real?" Hotch asked.

She nodded. "And so is the rivalry between them."

"Huh."

Teddy turned back. "Aunt Mi, I have to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, uh, okay-"

"I can take him," Hotch offered. She looked over.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll be right back."

Hermione took Jack's hand. "Then we are going to head toward the cafe to get a table for lunch. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

Hotch walked Teddy to the bathrooms, that were actually remarkably clean, and waited outside of the stall for him to finish, lifting him so he could wash his hands after.

"Do you really like Mia?" Teddy asked on their way back.

Hotch smiled. "Yes, I really do."

"You aren't going to take her away from me?"

"Of course not! I like you and I would never take her away from you. I promise."

They finally came to the cafe and saw Hermione telling Jack what looked to be a story with more wide hand gestures and a bright eyed look. He could catch bits as they got closer.

"...she was going to hurt Harry! I had to do something..."

Teddy ran ahead to help finish the story he had obviously heard a million times. "So she lured Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest to where Grawp the giant was, but he was gone! And Umbridge figured out it was a trick. She was about to hex them when the centaurs came and took her away!"

"Teddy," she laughed with a hint of a warning. He looked over to her and calmed down from his enthusiasm.

"Mia, will you come home with us?" Jack asked.

"And me too?" Teddy added.

Hermione blushed and looked to Hotch, who smiled at the boys. That's when his phone rang. He looked down and frowned, answering it. "Morgan?"

Hermione's head snapped up and she scooted closer to him in an attempt to hear.

"It's Elle, man. They found blood in her hotel room. The police have her in custody and it looks bad, man. Really bad."

"We'll be there soon."

"We?"

Hermione moved the phone slightly. "Hey, Morgan."

"Yeah, after we clear this up, you two are explaining that."

Hotch hung up and they both looked to Teddy and Jack- who were watching them enraptured. "I'm sorry, guys," Hermione said. "We have to cut this short."

"Are you going to go catch the bad guy?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sweetie, we are," she told him.

Hotch sighed. "I have to find someone to watch Jack."

"I'm sure Remus and Sirius wouldn't mind. That's where Teddy will be."

He nodded. "Okay, let's go then."

* * *

Hotch entered the room first, followed closely by Hermione and Morgan.

"Detective St. Pierre, I'm SSA Hotchner and this is SSA Granger. I'm Agent Greenaway's superior."

"We're not finished here." The man said in a heavy accent.

Hotch took his suit jacket off very deliberately and handed it to Elle, who took it gratefully.

"Agent Greenaway only arrived in your country yesterday afternoon. So, I brought a forensic expert and he's examined the body at your morgue, and he's put the time of death at no less than twenty-four hours ago. Now this is based on advance rigor mortis and the contents of his stomach which contained a meal that he ordered from room service 2 days ago. Your coroner concurs with the findings. What this means is that Agent Greenaway wasn't even here when this man was killed.

"Now, I appreciate that you have a difficult situation, and Agents Morgan and Greenaway are happy to cooperate in any way that they can, but they'll do it from our offices in Quantico, Virginia.

The man sighed, smacking a bit and closed the file Hotch had given him. He then took a sset of keys from his shirt pocket and tossed them onto the table. Elle grabbed them quickly and began unlocking herself. Hermione went over to help as Elle was shaking so bad. The first thing Hotch did was call JJ, who told him to call Gideon. At the same time he got off the phone with her, Hermione was getting off the phone with Remus and they were boarding the jet.

"Are they okay?"

"They're great, Sirius is telling them about pranks that he and the Marauders used to pull. Severus is trying to discourage him. Jack seems to be having a good time."

Elle and Morgan sat across from them. "Thank you so much for coming, both of you."

Morgan frowned. "By the way, what's going on with the two of you?"

"What do you mean?"

He turned to Elle. "When I called to tell Hotch, he was with Hermione."

"Really?" she asked, looking to the two of them. "I thought everyone had plans?"

"We were at the zoo," Hotch said calmly. "With Jack and Hermione's godson."

Morgan smirked. "And that's it?"

Hotch cleared his throat and glanced at Hermione. She smiled her consent. "We've decided to try a relationship."

"Try a relationship?" Elle teased. "Sounds very diplomatic."

Hermione chuckled. "Elle, come on. We just saved your arse and you're teasing?"

Hotch would swear Elle was about to kiss the tarmac when they all stepped out of the jet. They were even more at ease when they walked out of the elevator and into the bullpen.

"You sure you guys don't want to go home and get some rest?" Hotch asked. "Take a shower?"

Elle looked back like he was crazy. "Like Hell!"

"I'm good," Morgan agreed.

"How much sleep have you gotten in the last 24 hours?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Elle sighed. "Hermione, I spent half of the night in an interrogation room. I am not sleeping until I find this Frank Giles."

JJ walked up to them. "Frank Giles left Jamaica last night on the red eye. He flew to Florida, then got onto another flight to Virginia."

"Virginia? You mean that son of a bitch is from here?"

"I don't know if he's from here but this is where he flew to. Arlington. He's got a long criminal record. Manslaughter, robbery, rape."

"What about the victim, Marty Harris?"

"Uh, he a two time convicted fetish burglar. Registered child sex offender."

"And we have his head," Gideon said, hugging Hermione and kissing her forehead. "CSU just positively identified the one delivered to my cabin."

Hotch remembered that strange call. "Don't waste time on the first victims. They were unrepented bad men. They only got what they deserve."

"What is that?"

"I got a phone call last night."

"Any mention of a her?"

Hotch nodded. "You must help him save her."

"There's a him now too?"

"I think he means Reid," Gideon said.

Hermione looked startled. "Reid?"

Hotch lead Hermione and the others further in. "We need to regroup."

 **A/N: WOW THAT WAS LONG! Lol, tell me what you all thought. Hope you love it! I wish I had more to say. I hate that I haven't been posting much. I thought I was over being sick, but BAM! I had a fever and sneezes again. Jeez. I hope, cross your fingers folks, that it's over. Can anyone spot the Knight's Tale reference? I put a lot of movie and book quotes in my stories. Love always, Skye.**


	5. But we thought we were bigger

Chapter five: But we thought we were bigger...

"So, clearly we have a psychopath intent on drawing us into his game."

"Playing with us."

"Then let's returned the favor," Elle said coldly, pacing impatiently.

Morgan rubbed his head. "He kept telling us repeatedly to save 'her'. What 'her'?"

"The items he sent must be some kind of clues," Hermione thought out loud. "I think we should get them up on the board."

"I got a Nellie Fox baseball card from 1963," Gideon said. "And I got a head in a box with a Jamaican return address."

"I got a rare butterfly in a shadow box," JJ adds.

Hotch sighed. "And repeated messages to save 'her'."

"I got the decapitated body," Elle said, "and a nice visit to the Jamaican police headquarters."

"Reid's on the way back from Nevada. He's got a skeleton key and a note."

"And the guy who called me said the youngest one holds the key."

"That's Reid."

Morgan interrupted. "Unsubs, they don't contact us this way. I mean, they taunt us. Dare us to catch them, but they don't drag us into their fantasy."

"Why not?"

"Because they're sexual fantasies," Hermione answered.

Morgan nodded. "I mean, taunting us is a show of power, but making us the object is... I don't know what the hell that is."

"There's something else about the baseball card. Nellie Fox was one of the stars of the 1959 White Sox. I went to almost every game with my father that year. Fox was my hero. So is it a coincidence that he sends this to me? Or does he know how I feel about him?"

JJ frowned and turned toward them from the board. "I collected butterflies when I was a little girl. That's how I knew what butterfly was in the box."

"So then he knows us."

"I got an anonymous message," Hotch said.

"I got a police raid."

Hermione frowned. "I got nothing. Neither did Morgan other than lack of sleep. Is it that he knows less about us or he's waiting for something else?"

"He knew exactly where we were," Morgan said. "Hotel in Jamaica. Gideon at the cabin. Reid in Vegas. You at your home. He had to have known Hermione too we can assume."

"He got that from the bureau computers," Penelope Garcia said, coming in with a red nose. "Your locations are always in there so they can find you if they need you. I checked the log. The hacker was definitely in the personnel folders. There were room numbers to the hotel in Jamaica, address of Gideon's cabin. There's a lot of information in those databases."

Hotch tried to stay stoic. "Have you figured out how he was able to get into the bureau's computers?"

"I'm-I'm still working on that."

He frowned. "Garcia, if you know something-"

"No-um, it's... I... I was playing a game yesterday. An online game."

"A game?" Gideon asked.

She looked over to him. "Not on the bureau computer, sir. On my own personal laptop."

Morgan moved from his position of crossed arms to his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. Hermione even sighed and rubbed her face. Morgan tried to deny it. "Oh, Garcia! No, no, no, no."

"I don't understand." Hotch admitted.

Hermione tapped her marker in her hand rapidly. "Wireless internet."

"By wirelessly hooking into the net here to get online, the hacker could have gotten into my computer first, and I have far less protection on my own laptop."

Hotch was starting to see. "And he could have gotten into the entire bureau computer system this way?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yeah, it's possible."

"Playing a game?" Gideon scoffed, getting out of his chair disappointedly. "How could you be that stupid?"

Garcia looked like she was going to cry. Hermione stood up too and laid a hand on Gideon's arm. "Hey, that was uncalled for. Everyone has done things that weren't the smartest move. Things they regret. Haven't they?"

"Information, files, she had a responsibility."

"I know, sir," Garcia said. "I'm so sorry. But I found him."

Elle shifted. "You what?"

"I know who he is. The hacker. His name is Giles. Frank Giles. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. 4 miles from here. I have his address."

"Garcia, you said Giles?"

*

Hotch had seen swords up close. His brother, Sean, had collected them at one time and Hotch would secretly admit to still having a two-handed Templar sword at home, but he had never seen anything like this when they came across Frank Giles with the Marto Excalibur sword sticking out of his chest.

 _Here thy quest doth truly begin._

Hotch didn't understand. He knew the Unsub said these were unrepented, bad men, but both Hermione and Gideon agreed it wasn't some sort of vigilante. He left a bag of money.

"Thy? Doth? Quest?" Elle read aloud. "Thy quest doth truly begin. Why start phrasing things like this now?"

"All the other messages were in modern English."

Hermione sighed. "My school spoke like that." Gideon sighed heavily as though she said something he was dreading. She continued. "Where I'm from, it's not entirely strange."

"Do you think he might be from your world?" Gideon asked quietly. Hotch frowned at the wording. But she shook her head.

"No, he'd use different methods."

"Could be a pureblood trying to tease."

"By sinking to our standards? No."

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something etched on the blade."

Hotch went over to examine it, reading it out loud for everyone. "To learn of what should next be done, leave the blade 'til the hour be none."

"Hour be none?"

"Leave the blade, Hermione, could you move back a little? The bed is in the center of the room."

"Which isn't by chance."

"And maybe the light from here casts a shadow and points to something."

Elle scoffed. "What? Are we in an Indiana Jones movie?"

"The hour be none?"

"Midnight is at 00:00 hours in 24 hour time. Would that be none?"

"Midnight wouldn't cast a shadow," Hotch pointed out.

"It's 3pm," Hermione said. "It's medieval. The days used to be broken into hourly intervals. The canonical hours of the breviary."

Reid came into the room at this point. "Prime: 6AM. Terce: 9AM. Sext: 12 noon. None: 3PM. And Vespers at 6PM."

"Reid," Elle said. "Do not ever go away again."

"Medieval. That's why the language changed."

Hotch watched Hermione closely, wondering what was going on with her. "Everything this guy does is a clue."

Morgan shrugged with his hands. "Ok, but, guys, it's 4:35. What do we do? Leave the blade in 'til 3PM tomorrow?"

"Not if we can block that window out," Reid said.

Hermione nodded. "What are you thinking, spotlights?"

"Yeah, does someone have any in their car?"

"Sure," Gina said.

Reid examined the scene after it was set up. "So the sun is right here at 5PM. Hermione, follow the shadows I'm going to move the light higher."

Hermione moved everything away from the wall and started tapping down the sword's shadow. When she hit a spot she nodded. "It's hollow. Feel's like the wallpaper's been replaced."

"Tear it open," Hotch said.

Morgan went to hand her a knife, but before she saw it she pulled her fist back and punched it, opening to a small hole where there sat a box. She went to take it out when Reid stopped her.

"Wait, are we sure that's safe?"

Hotch hesitated, not wanting anything to hurt her. "He'd have already done something," Gideon said. "If he had wanted to. He wants us to play the game."

Hermione pulled it out and went to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Spencer, please tell me you have the key with you."

He patted his two front pants pockets before pulling it out of his shirt pocket, coming over and unlocking the box carefully. It was a music box.

"Shubert," Hermione commented.

"The Trout Quintet," Gideon added.

Reid pulled a note and read it. "Never would it be night, but always clear day to any man's sight."

"The lid," Gideon pointed. "The little tab right under the lock."

Morgan opened the secret compartment and unveiled a DVD labeled 'THY QUEST' and a lock of hair tied with a small pink bow.

"Oh God."

*

Hotch watched the video feed static and cut out. He didn't like this. The pictures were frightening. He had pictures. He had information.

"What do we do?" Reid asked.

"The lock of hair's being analyzed for DNA. There might be something on file."

"I'll get video to enhance the shot of the girl."

He nodded. "Let's get the clues up on the board. Maybe we can make some sense of something."

"Wait, so we're just gonna play this guy's game?"

"We don't have much of a choice."

Gideon left the room and Hotch and Hermione followed.

"I just have nothing left," he told them. "I needed a place... where I didn't have to know what was out there. Where I could... just close my eyes and not see... bodies torn to pieces or hear children calling out for help. That cabin was the only thing I had left. This guy took it away from me."

"Jason," Hermione said. This was the only time Hotch had ever heard her call him this. "Please don't do this. I understand."

He looked up at her and they seemed to be doing that silent conversation thing they did where it was almost like they could read each other's thoughts. "I know you do, love. I just- I'd like to be alone. Please."

She nodded and followed Hotch out the door. Sirius was coming into the bullpen and Hermione bounced down the stairs and met him half way.

"Padfoot? What are you going here?"

He held out a package. "Some man came to your door to deliver this. He said you needed this right away, that a girl's life depended on it."

"He came to the door?" She whispered.

He nodded.

Soon after, Severus, Remus, Sirius, and both kids were in Hotch's office. Hermione had Jack in her lap and Teddy sitting at her feet leaning against her legs.

"What did he look like?" Hotch asked them.

"Young," Severus said. "Dark hair."

"Did he look injured?" Hermione asked.

Sirius frowned. "Injured?"

Gideon came to the door and Teddy ran to him. "Did he seem injured in any way?"

"No," Remus answered with certainty. "He gave it to Padfoot, said Hermione needed it right away. That a girl's life depended on it."

"That's not a normal delivery," Hermione commented, kissing Jack's temple. Hotch watched the affection.

"I know."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"They don't come with detailed messages like that," Gideon said. "Did he say all of these things to you? Were they in a note?"

"No, he said them."

Gideon, Hotch, and Hermione exchanged looks. "If he isn't the Unsub, he probably talked to him. What was it he delivered?"

"A piece of paper with numbers on it."

Hotch added, "The team's got it in the conference room."

*

"Oh my Merlin," Hermione said, looking at the page of numbers- a sleeping Jack in her lap and an equally sleeping Teddy in the chair beside her. JJ and Gideon were in the press conference.

Reid looked back, on his fifteenth cup of outrageously sweetened coffee. "What?"

"Who's Merlin?"

Reid answered automatically. "Enchanter and prophet, adviser to King Arthur of the Round Table."

"I know the book," she said. "It's Chaucer. The Parliament of Fowls."

Reid's face lit up in realization. "That's why it sounded so familiar. My mom used to read it to me. It's widely considered to be the first valentine's poem."

"Elle." The woman on the couch woke up suddenly. "Go home, get some rest."

"What? No."

"Look, we have the book it's from, come back tomorrow and we'll almost be done. You're dead on your feet. That's an order."

She groaned, getting up and grabbing her bag. Hotch had an officer escort her and came over to Hermione. "Maybe we should ask Remus to take the boys to a hotel room."

"No," she said firmly.

"Hermione-"

"Aaron, he had our addresses. He had pictures. I don't want them out of our sight until we find the tosser."

Hotch couldn't describe the feeling he had at her including Jack in that. As hers. He kissed her briefly and nodded. "Okay."

"How do we find what copy and edition of the book to use? It has to be exact."

"There's something we're missing there."

Morgan and JJ left to learn more about Rebecca Bryant, the victim. Leaving Gideon to work on a profile and the others to figure more out on how to find him and finish their 'quest'. Hotch had gone to take some files to Gideon, when he caught sight of someone he shouldn't have.

"Anderson? Where's Agent Greenaway?"

"Sir?"

"I told you to take her home."

The younger man looked confused. "I dropped her off half an hour ago."

"Take her home does not mean drop her off. We're dealing with an Unsub who has all of our personal information, including our home addresses. Get back over there, now."

"But-"

"Now."

*

"It can't be the Parliament of Fowls," Reid was telling Hermione as Hotch came in from talking to the delivery guy. "The poem isn't long enough. It has to be at least 283 pages."

"Something published in 1963," Hermione said.

"The year on the baseball card?"

Reid looked over to Hotch. "1959 is the year that was so important to Gideon, but the card the Unsub sent was from 1963. That's another clue."

"Maybe we can include the butterfly, indigenous to Great Britain. Why is that important?"

"Published in Great Britain in 1963."

"Medieval. Chaucer."

Hotch felt like watching a tennis match with Reid and Hermione both on the same train of thought and he having no clue.

Hermione turned to Garcia, who was also watching and had her laptop ready to research for them. "There was a contemporary British author- Fowles. John Fowles."

Garcia typed and there was a ding. "He wrote _the_ _Magus_ , he wrote _the_ _French Lieutenant's Woman_."

"Anything in 1963 published in Great Britain?" Reid asked.

" _The Collector._ "

Gideon came into the conference room and told them about the burn scars the unsub had. And a moment later, a woman came into the room with a phone call for him on line two.

"Was there a name?"

"He calls himself the Fisher King."

Reid frowned deeply and took the note pad from her to look at. "In mythology the Fisher King is the Grail King. Guys, this may be our unsub."

"Why do you think that?"

"Fisher King is an anagram for Sir Kneighf."

Hermione groaned. "Fucking anagrams."

*

Hotch rushed into the hospital with Gideon to see how Elle was doing. Anderson looked terrified. "Agent Hotchner, I'm sorry."

"Anderson, where is she?"

"I got there just as the ambulance was leaving."

"Where is she, Anderson?"

"They just took her to surgery."

Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. "Then she's alive."

He couldn't believe that he just sent her home. He should have been more clear with Anderson when he told her to take her home. It wouldn't have been a big deal for her to have stayed sleeping on the couch. Why did he tell her to go home?

"What do we know?"

"The local P.D. said someone forced her back door open and surprised her in the living room. They were probably lying in wait for her. After she... It appears she dialed 911 herself before she passed out."

"Why weren't we notified?" Hotch asked, angry without knowing at whom.

"The offender apparently took her I.D. And gun. The uniform I talked to didn't even know she was in the bureau until I arrived on scene."

"Get back over there. This is a federal crime scene. Nobody touches anything. We process it. Go."

"Yes, sir."

*

Hotch looked down at his phone and sighed heavily, sitting on the edge of his seat. "Trap and trace got nothing. The unsub used a disposable cell."

"We got our best CSU team. If he left anything; a print, a hair, a sweat, anything... they'll find it."

"I sent her home, Jason."

"This wasn't you."

"I should have been clearer with Anderson."

"Try Morgan and JJ again."

Hotch looked back down at his phone, "I tried them three times. They're out of cell range."

"Try them again. I don't want them hearing about this on the news."

 **A/N: My husband and I actually collect swords, so I thought that could be a cool thing for Hotch to have. In fact, I went out cutting milk jugs today. Really fun. I was originally going to have the rest of the two episodes in this, but it's way long so I'll have at least another part of this case and then maybe a third. I don't know. Off to bed. I think kittens are adorable, but I'm super allergic and it makes my asthma flare up. I was exposed to five today. Love always, Skye.**


End file.
